Industrial Applications of X-Ray Methods for Measuring Plating Thickness

Abstract

AbstractCalibration procedures and data are presented for plating thickness measurements of gold, silver, tin, and nickel on copper, brass, and steel basis metals. Both emission and absorption techniques are described, and examples are given of measurements on thicknesses from 10 to 600 millionths of an inch. The use is shown of masking and integrating techniques for curved or unusual shapes.For the special problem of duplex platings, which have two metals each varying in thickness, the Kα/Kβ absorption ratio and the Lα/Lβ emission ratio are compared with conventional absorption and emission techniques.Optical and chemical determinations are shown to be less precise as well as considerably slower than X-ray measurements on the same piece. Examples are given of the use of X-ray measurements to study fundamentals of plating processes, such as barrel-plating thickness distributions and variation of thickness across a surface, as well as to study processes such as wear or porosity.